Association between sexual violence and multiple high-risk fertility behaviours among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa

Background Intimate partner violence has adverse outcomes on the sexual and reproductive health of women. In this study, we examined the association between sexual violence and multiple high-risk fertility behaviours (MHRFB) among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data pooled from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys of 20 countries in SSA. We included countries with most recent datasets conducted from 2015 to 2021 and had data on all variables included in the study. A weighted sample of 88,011 was included in the study. We used a multilevel binary logistic regression to examine the association between sexual violence and MHRFB, controlling for other covariates. The regression results were presented using adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results The overall prevalence of MHRFB was 22.53% (95% CI: 22.26–22.81), which ranged from 9.94% in South Africa to 30.38% in Chad. For sexual violence, the pooled prevalence was 7.02% (95% CI: 6.86–7.19). Burundi (20.58%) and the Gambia (2.88%) reported the highest and lowest proportions, respectively. Women who experienced sexual violence were more likely to engage in MHRFB compared to those who did not experience sexual violence [aOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.21]. Conclusion There is a positive association between sexual violence and the risk of MHRFB. Our findings underscore a need for sub-Saharan African countries to strengthen their efforts to reduce the occurrence of sexual violence in intimate partner relationships. To augment efforts and accelerate social change, sub-Saharan African countries can introduce pro-poor policies and interventions to improve the wealth status of women. Also, empowering women through the encouragement of attaining higher education would be a useful step in lowering the risk of MHRFB in SSA.